Tag: animal

Cartoon birds are an excellent subject matter for microstock. They come in such a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, the options for character development are virtually limitless. This frantic bluebird is one my earliest microstock characters and one of my favorites, in spite of his low sales numbers. I have a couple of microstock chickens that share the same frantic design, and by contrast, those chickens have been consistent sellers. This taught me that having some microstock that can be edited to make several different unique characters not only reduces your overall workload but it increases your chance of making a sale. There may be a higher demand for cartoon chickens than cartoon bluebirds, but I still like this bit of flapping fury.

This is one of the few cartoon fish I’ve drawn for sale as microstock. In my experience cartoon fish have never really been big sellers. Cats and dogs always do well, but fish seem to have far less mass appeal. I get it, not everyone has a use for a cartoon fish. Still, they’re fun to draw and the sheer variety to choose from means that the creative options are virtually limitless. I like to think that this blue-fish is dealing with a nasty bout of hiccups.

Cartoon Santa Dog is a semi-rare breed. I have a varied set of cartoon dogs available for sale in the microstock communities, among them are a few dogs wearing Santa hats. I’ve always enjoyed drawing cartoon dogs, and this cartoon Santa dog was no exception. His prominent, goofy expression, was inspired by the campy and colorful, Banana Splits, a 1970’s live-action/cartoon series. Cartoon Santa Dog’s design is meant to be exaggerated, verging on ridiculous. A look he carries off very well.

Cartoon reindeer are by far my best selling holiday-themed microstock characters. My take on the reindeer has always been more comical than anatomically correct. Their long limbs and antlers leave the door wide open for comic silliness. This guy is decked out for the holidays and seems pretty excited to spread his brand of holiday cheer.

Cartoon birds, especially cartoon chickens are among my best sellers in the microstock community. There’s something about a chicken that makes a great character. I don’t know if it’s the scruffy bodies or the floppy head bits, but for whatever reason, they lend themselves well to pen and tablet.

This chicken is one of the taller breeds of barnyard fowl. With stripey legs and scruffy feathers, I can’t help but smile when I see that blank expression.

When it comes to drawing cartoons, cats are a common subject. This is especially true in the microstock communities. I’ve always enjoyed drawing cats, they have a unique take on life and capturing just the right expression can make a drawing come to life. This feline is a recent addition to my already well-stocked collection of cartoon cats. His unimpressed expression makes him one of my favorites.